Speaking in

IELTS
Lesson 2 – Connectors
 Table of Contents

01 What and why 02 Types of connectors

The role of connectors in FLUENCY 8 situations

03 Practice
Compare and contrast
I/ What are Connectors?

Enter what you think as connectors and fillers in the chat box.
 I/ Why do we need
connectors? Grammatical
Band
Fluency & coherence Lexical resource range & Pronunciation
Score
accuracy
Able to keep going and readily Resource flexibly used A range of Uses a wide range of
produce long turns without to discuss a variety of structures flexibly phonological features to convey
noticeable effort. topics. used. precise and/or subtle meaning.

Some hesitation, repetition Some ability to use Error-free Can sustain appropriate rhythm.
and/or self-correction may less common and sentences are
occur, often mid-sentence and idiomatic frequent. Flexible use of stress and
indicate problems with items and an intonation across long
accessing appropriate awareness of style and Both simple and utterances, despite occasional
language. However, these will collocation is evident
7 not affect coherence. though
complex
sentences are used
lapses.
inappropriacies occur. effectively despite Can be easily understood
Flexible use of spoken some errors. throughout.
discourse markers, Effective use of
connectives and cohesive paraphrase as A few basic errors
features. required. Accent has minimal effect on
persist. intelligibility.
 I/ Why do we need
connectors?
Long & short answers
What is your favourite food?
-> I don’t really have a favourite food. I love to eat anything that is delicious and made from fresh ingridients

What is your favourite food?

-> I can eat different types of food but my favourite options are exotic seafood and poultry. I eat
seafood less often than poultry. Seafood is more expensive than poultry. Seafood is also less healthy
than poultry when I eat too much. Food from the sea is also not fresh when transported to the city.
Poultry is different. It is easy to get in my city. The price is cheaper than seafood. I can afford it.

-> To be honest, I can eat different types of food but my favourite options are exotic seafood and
poultry. I eat seafood less often than poultry. Moreover, Seafood is more expensive than poultry. In
addition, Seafood is also less healthy than poultry when I eat too much. Food from the sea is also not
fresh when transported to the city. In contrast, Poultry is different. It is easy to get in my city. The price
is cheaper than seafood. Therefore, I can afford it.
II/ Types of connectors
1. Opinions
2. Begin an Answer
3. Add information
4. Clarify
5. Emphasize
6. Compare and Contrast
7. Give Examples
8. Conclude.
GIVING OPINIONS
Do you think your neighborhood is a good
place to live?
In my (humble) opinion, eyes,
view
- As far as I know, the area where I live is one of
the safest place in town. The crime rates here are
If I recall the lowest.
If I remember correctly

GIVE Let’s practice with some questions:

As far as I know
As far as I’m concerned
OPINIONS From what I know - Are there any big changes in the city you live?
- When was the last time you had a few days off?
- Do you know any people who are good at sport?
Personally

From my perspective
From what I can see
The way I see it is To the best of my
It seems to me that … knowledge
GIVING OPINIONS - NOT SURE
Do you like learning history?

I guess
- Well, I would say I’m not really a fan of history.
I suppose I think it’s quite boring and requires a lot of
Probably memorization. There are so many names of fallen
soldiers and dates to remember.

I would say so.

Let’s practice with some questions:
- Do you think all children should learn
UNCERTAINTY sports/arts in school?
- Do you think it’s better to live in cities? Why?
I’m not really/entirely - Do you think more people will read books in the
sure… future?
GIVING OPINIONS - CERTAINTY

Certainly Do you like going to the cinema?

Absolutely
Definitely - Absolutely. For me, watching movies in the
Undoubtedly For sure cinema is one of the best ways to unwind and
I’m sure …
relax after a long day.

Let’s practice with some questions:

Without a doubt
- Do you like the city you live in?
SHOW - Do you think it’s better to live in cities?
- Do you think we should protect endangered
CERTAINTY animals?
Oh yeah, no doubt
about it
GIVING OPINIONS - SAY ‘NO’

Do you like going to the cinema?

Not really
I don’t think so To be (perfectly)
- Well, to be honest, I’m not a big fan of cinemas.
honest
I think the tickets are way too expensive for a
college student like me.

Honestly - Honestly, I think watching movies in cinemas

can be quite uncomfortable. Everybody has to
keep quiet and I can’t talk loudly with my friends
SAY ‘NO’ during the movie.
I gotta be honest
…
Let’s practice with some questions:

I don’t know How often do you go to the gym?

I have no idea Do you like the city you live in?
I have no clue Do you like rainy days?
I’m clueless about…
HOW TO BEGIN AN ANSWER
What are the benefits of traveling by car?

First of all - Well, for starters, it’s super convenient on rainy days.
For starters You can avoid getting wet and dirty. It’s also good for
your health as it blocks all polluted air around you.

Let’s practice with some questions:

- What are the advantages of using public transport?
Right off the - What are the drawbacks/benefits of eating fast food?
BEGIN AN bat - Is there anything you’d like to change about your
ANSWER job/school?

From the get-

go
 HOW TO ADD INFORMATION
What are the benefits of traveling by car?

Also - Well, for starters, it’s super convenient on rainy days.

Another thing is
First of all And come to think of it, it’s actually good for health,
too. Obviously, you don’t have to breath in all the toxic
gas and polluted air from personal vehicles in cities.
On top of that
For starters
Let’s practice with some questions:
- What are the advantages of using public transport?
Right off the
- What are the benefits/drawbacks of eating fast food?
bat
ADD INFO What’s more - Is there anything you’d like to change about your
job/school?

From the get-

go
And come to
think of it
HOW TO EMPHASIZE

Undoubtedly What are the benefits of traveling by plane?

For sure
- Actually, statistically speaking, plane is the safest way to
Hands down = travel.
unquestionably - Statistically speaking, plane is, hands down, the safest way to
travel.
In fact - You know, I do actually believe that plane is, by far, the best
As a matter of fact way to travel.

EMPHASIZ
E Actually Let’s practice with some questions:
- What are the advantages of using public transport?
- What are the drawbacks of eating fast food?
- Is there anything you’d like to change about your job/school?
HOW TO COMPARE - SIMILARITIES
What do your family often do together?
Similar to A is similar to B
Similarly, + - Actually, my brother and I have a lot in common. We
câu A Has a lot in common with both love playing football.
B - My sister is just quite similar to my mother in the way
that they both love cooking, so they spend a lot of time
doing that.
A is As … as B

Let’s practice with some questions:

COMPARE - What sport do most people like to do?
A is the same as B - Do young and older people use phones in the same
… way?
- How do people often make important decisions?

A is identical to B

Adverbs: Really, Pretty, Quite, Rather

Adverbs: Almost, Nearly
HOW TO CONTRAST
Do you think children should make their own
decision?
but
However
On the other hand - Absolutely, making their own decisions when choosing
their favorite subjects or friends can help them become
more independent. Now, Having said that, I do believe
Although / Even though sometimes it’s better to ask their parents for advice first so
that they can make a more informed decision.

CONTRAST Let’s practice with some questions:

With that being said
- Do young and old people use phones in the same way?
- Do all inventions bring benefits to our world?
Having said that/ That - Who should be responsible for protecting the environment:
said the government or individuals?
- Why do many people prefer to live in the city?
at the same time

Adverbs: Really, Pretty, Quite, Rather + Adjective

Adverbs: Totally, Completely + Adjective
HOW TO GIVE EXAMPLES Is it easy for you to remember things?

- Sure, generally speaking, I’d say I have a pretty good

memory. Let’s say, if I have to remember 10-20 new words of
For example English a day, I could do it in a heartbeat.
For instance
Do you think children should make their own decision?
- I think in order for them to become more independent, they
need to start making decisions at a young age. Imagine a kid
say / Let’s say who ask their parents’ opinion in everything, she won’t be able
to make their own decision when they grow up.

EXAMPLE A good example of this is

I’ll give you an example

Let’s practice with some questions:

- Do young and old people use phones in the same way?
- Do all inventions bring benefits to our world?
Imagine … - Who should be responsible for protecting the environment:
the government or individuals?
- Why do many people prefer to live in the city?
In particular,
HOW TO CONCLUDE AN ANSWER
Why do so many people move to the city?

- Some come to cities like Ho Chi Minh to get a high-

In a nutshell paying job, buy fancy clothes. In a nutshell, I think people
move to the city in search of good job opportunities so that
Overall
they can afford a more luxurious lifestyle.

- I do know some people who seek a well-paid job in the

city so that they can buy a house for their parents back in
their hometown. At the end of the day, we just want the
All in all best for our family.
CONCLUDE
Let’s practice with some questions:
- Why do some people decide to leave the city and return to
their hometown to live?
at the end of the - Why do some people become famous, but not successful?
day - Why do some people think it’s more enjoyable to stay at
home on holidays?
II/ Pratice pratice pratice

Compare and contrast the subjects in the picture

Thanks!
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